Nova Peris has won the Northern Territory award for excellence in Women’s Leadership. The award recognises women who make extraordinary contributions to the advancement of gender equality. Nova was Australia’s first Aboriginal woman elected to Federal Parliament and the first Aboriginal Australian and Northern Territorian to win an Olympic gold medal.

A former Senator for the Northern Territory, Nova is a passionate campaigner for Aboriginal rights and reconciliation in Australia. She has also actively campaigned on issues of mental and physical health. Drawing from her unique experiences in sport, in government and as a leader within Australia’s Aboriginal community, Nova inspires people of diverse ages, backgrounds and sectors. She became the first Aboriginal Australian to win an Olympic gold medal when she was a member of the victorious Hockeyroos in Atlanta in 1996. Nova’s twin achievements, being the first Aboriginal Olympic champion and achieving in two different sports at Olympic level, mark her as one of Australia’s finest athletes.

Pride in her Aboriginal identity is a vital ingredient in the ultimate success story that Nova has become. She inspires other Aboriginal people to take pride in who they are, but she also works hard at changing attitudes throughout the Australian community. Nova has fought for Aboriginal people to have a better life and to heal Australian society in many ways. As a treaty ambassador for the former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC), she has travelled around the country, campaigning for a treaty between black and white so that a fundamental understanding between two groups can be forged.

Nova was awarded Young Australian of the Year in January 1997. She received the Medal of the Order of Australia in January 1997 and the Australian Sports Medal in June 2000. She is acknowledged in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Hall of Fame and has written an autobiography Nova – My Story.

Readers also enjoyed this story about Dr Kristin Ferguson winning the Queensland Women’s Leadership award.